Hogwarts Academy for Exceptional Students
by RuneStarArrow
Summary: This is a Hinny (AU) fanfic set in modern-day America. When Ginny and Ron Weasley start at Hogwarts Academy for the rich/extremely clever, how will they fit in? Which enemies will they make? Features mostly Hinny, some Romione and some Pigwidgeon/Hedwig.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

 **So it came to my attention, that whilst TMI have billions of AU fanfics featuring Malec, Sizzy, Clace etc. Harry Potter doesn't really have any. Or at least Hinny doesn't. So I have decided to fill this gap in Harry Potter fanfics myself! Features Hinny, Romione, and even some Pigwidgeon/Hedwig (has anyone been crazy enough to ship them before me? Don't answer that.)! Well, that's all I have to say! Please enjoy, and review/fave/follow! Reviews make me happy! Reviews also make me post more, so if you like my story and want more, you have to review! *evil laughter***

 **Ginny POV**

I finger the frayed hem of my skirt nervously. I've always hated first days. Everyone stares at you, whispering behind their hands. Rumours start flying, especially when you sit alone at lunch because you're too scared to talk to anyone. Luckily, this first day isn't looking as bad as my usual ones. Granted, it's halfway through term two, meaning that everyone has already settled into their little groups, and have no room for a poor, ginger, clumsy girl, but my brother Ron is starting this school today as well, so I'll have someone to sit with at lunch at least. But he's only doing that because Mum forced him to. Ah well. You can't have everything.

This school is so much posher than my old school. It's supposed to be prestigious, so it only lets in the filthy rich or the abnormally clever. Usually you have to be both. I'm intelligent, yes, but my family is probably one of the poorest you'll ever meet. Ron and I had to sit about 20 different exams, on everything from origami to advanced trigonometry. I have no idea how Ron managed to get in. I understand me getting in, but Ron… well, he is reasonably intelligent I suppose, but this school isn't exactly for reasonably intelligent people. More for the posh snobs with brains.

I probably sound really horrible now. I'm the only girl in a family of six brothers, so I have to be loud to get noticed. My brothers always tease me about being weak and female, so I tease them right back. It's more self-defence than cruelness, I have to prove that I am not weak and I am as strong as they are.

The receptionist pulled me from my daydream, handing me a map, timetable and combination for my locker.

"Here you are, dear. Better run along now, don't want to be late for your first lesson now do we?" she said, smiling warmly.

I thanked her quickly and wandered down the hallway in the direction of the science corridor, where my locker and first lesson were situated. I was peering down at the map, which was probably why I didn't notice the thin and wiry black-haired boy until I had walked into him. I stumbled slightly, and dropped my map on the floor, along with all the other papers the receptionist had given me. A hand wrapped around my elbow, steadying me and I looked up, my cheeks burning red. The boy who I had walked into looked like one of the normal rich snobs. His clothes were obviously expensive, his hair, whilst untidy, was fashionably so, and his eyes looked so green under his glasses that they had to be contacts. I resolved there and then that I hated him. I know that was unreasonable, but still. He was smirking. I dislike people who smirk.

"Whoa! You should watch where you're going! You could have hurt me!"

I was instantly furious. How dare he? Hurt him! I was the one who dropped all my stuff! And what about me? I could have just as easily been hurt. Then I realised what it was. Whilst I had been forming an opinion of him, he had been doing the same. He could tell that I was poorer than him, a second-class citizen. I pulled up every ounce of self-control I had in my body, and smiled at him sweetly.

"Of course," I purred, still smiling. "And we wouldn't want that would we? It'd totally ruin your lovely designer shoes. Pity, pity. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lesson to attend." I scooped up my things, and brushed past him. He looked utterly shell-shocked. Probably the first time anyone had stood up to him in years. I felt a sense of smugness, for approximately two seconds before I realised that I had probably just made my first enemy at Hogwarts Academy. And from the looks of the people currently swarming around him, he was a very dangerous enemy to have.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Harry's POV**

I stared after the girl in shock. Her flaming red hair was still visible through the throng of students. I remembered how her brown eyes had blazed with anger when I had shouted at her, how she had made a fool of me so easily and calmly.

"Harry! Are you okay?" I heard a voice say at my elbow. I turned slowly, to see Hedwig staring at me over the glasses balanced on her nose. Hedwig was my second closest friend; I had known her since we were both toddlers and played around in the gardens of my parent's house. That was before the house blew up when I was three, taking my parents with it. I had lived with my aunt and uncle for a while after that, but I had hated it, so now I lived with my godfather, Sirius. We were very well off, he worked in the government and I worked weekends in an upper-class restaurant.

"Harry, are you there? Are you checking out the girl who was talking to you?"

That snapped me back to the present.

"What?! Are you crazy? Of course not!"

"Ooh, who's Harry checking out Hedwig? Who is she? Is she pretty? When can I meet her?" laughed Hermione, my best friend, as she snaked her arm through mine and pulled me towards History.

I sighed heavily, and got ready to explain.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I would like to thank everyone for your comments on my first chapter, and obviously for reading it in the first place! Thanks guys!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters (although I do kind of own my Hedwig and Pig representations…), only wish I did!**

 **Ginny POV**

I picked at my lasagne, not really paying attention to what was happening. I was sitting across from Ron in the cafeteria, who was talking to a plump, brown-haired boy he had met in English and who usually sat alone. The plump boy (I think his name was Neville) was telling a _fascinating_ story about beetroot or something like that and I really didn't care about his problems. I was worrying about the boy I'd walked into this morning. I was getting very worried that I had made a powerful enemy, in the first half hour of my new school. That must be a new record.

"Hey, Ginny, are you okay? You look kind of pale." Ron said worriedly. I looked up, surprised. Normally, Ron didn't notice me enough to comment on my skin colour. I looked at the clock and realised why. I had been sitting still staring at my food for the past twenty minutes. Even Ron, the emotional idiot he was, would sense something off if someone had been staring at a plate of food for the past twenty minutes. But I didn't have time to answer, because at that very moment into the room burst the person I least wanted to see. The boy I had walked into.

I ducked my head over my food hoping that he hadn't seen me. I was really not in the mood to talk to him, or anyone. Of course, it was not reasonable to expect that I would get any good luck. Our table was the only one not full in the whole cafeteria, and whilst I wouldn't put it past him to deprive a poor kid of a table, he decided to be nice and sit at our table instead. I say nice. I think you all know what I actually mean.

"Good afternoon! I don't believe we have met before." said the blonde, supermodel thin girl who slid into the seat next to me. She really was very pale, I thought. She looked quite nice, and probably could have been a model, were it not for her long, beak-like nose, and the glasses balanced precariously on top of it. She looked very much like a bird, clever and cunning and pale. Perhaps an owl? Yes she looked very much like the pictures I had seen of snowy owls.

"I'm Hedwig." She said warmly, holding her hand out for me to shake. I took it carefully and shook lightly.

"I'm Ginny." I said quietly.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

I watched silently as Hedwig introduced herself to the girl who had bumped into me earlier. I knew my friends well enough to know that this was not some cruel twist of fate. This was their engineering, wanting to meet the girl I had been 'checking out'. Hedwig was still chattering away to the girl, who was now looking slightly alarmed. I really couldn't blame her. I suddenly felt a hand on my arm pulling me forward. Hedwig had grabbed hold of me and was keeping a firm grip on me, lest I run away. I shot her a death glare and she smiled angelically back. In a voice that was sickeningly sweet she announced:

"Harry, this is Ginny. Ginny this is my amazing, single friend Harry."

My glare turned incredulous. Please tell me she did not just say that. Oh my god she did. Please let me sink through the floor. I was about 110% sure that my face was burning red, but nevertheless, I was not going to give Hedwig what she wanted. I held out my hand. Ginny took it cautiously, and we shook hands.

"Um… hey. Pleased to meet you." I said.

Before my friends could think up some new and creative ways to embarrass me, the bell rang. I had never been more grateful for it in my life. I dragged Hedwig away before any more damage could occur, and spun on her angrily.

"What. The. Hell. Was. That?" I growled.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So thank you guys for still sticking with me! I'm honestly surprised that so many people liked it! It was just an idea that popped into my head, and that I hoped someone would like! So thank you guys, it means the world to me!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from my adaptations of Hedwig and Pig, although I wish I did! (Although if I did probably no one would write fanfiction about it because it'd be so awful).**

 **Hedwig POV**

After Math had finished, I all but sprinted out of the classroom before Harry could continue with his rant about how 'you had no right to embarrass me like that!' or 'why do I put up with you?' etc. I reached my locker in a record time of 30 seconds, collected all my books and ran off again, to Hermione's locker. However, I stopped short, because, you won't believe this, she was talking to a GUY! A guy who wasn't Harry or my boyfriend Pig! I started to evaluate.

The guy had red hair and freckles, and he looked vaguely familiar. He was really tall, not tall like Harry, but tall as if he had been stretched, with long, thin arms and legs. The tips of his ears were pink, which reminded me of where I had seen him before. The little red-headed girl who Harry had been checking out, Ginny, had the same red hair, freckles and slightly stretched look, and her ears had turned pink out of embarrassment when I had introduced her and Harry. They must be siblings! Wouldn't it be amazing if they could do double dates? Grinning deviously, I sashayed forward and grabbed Hermione's arm.

"Ooh, what do we have here? Who's this Hermione?" I asked, still grinning.

Hermione, who knew me well enough now to know that I wasn't really interested unless they were boyfriend material, glared at me. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't practiced enough yet to completely hide her emotions, and she turned pink. So he _was_ boyfriend material! To save Hermione from her embarrassment, the boy (Rupert?) answered for her.

"Hi, I'm Ron" he said, smiling. So it was _Ron,_ not Rupert. He had a nice smile, one that invited you to laugh at nothing in particular. I liked him already, thinking he would be a good match for Hermione, who was always so serious and down-to-earth.

"Hedwig." I said, smiling at him. I turned then to Hermione. "Are you ready to go? Harry said he'd wait in the car for no longer than ten minutes, and we've already used five."

"Oh, did he actually mean that? I thought he was joking! I'm ready then, just let me grab my books."

She stuffed her books in her already overflowing bag as I sighed impatiently. As soon as she was done I grabbed her hand and started to drag her towards Harry and the car.

"Bye Ron!" she called over her shoulder. I glanced back at the freckled red head, and saw him still standing there, staring after Hermione with a wistful look on his face.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Ginny POV**

I had been watching Ron talk to the bushy-haired girl for a while, and had decided, being the lovely, caring younger sister that I was, I would let them have their moment of peace. And I was glad I did, for a moment later the owl-girl ran up to them, looking happy and full of energy. I'm not saying that I don't like her, I do, it's just that from one conversation I know that she's a bit of a handful, and I am not in the mood right now. I just want to go home and cry, and get Mum to bake me some of her chocolate-chip cookies and give me a hug.

I had lost track of time again, because when I looked again owl-girl and bushy hair had gone without a trace. I walked up to Ron slowly, hoping that he wouldn't ask me how the day had been, or if I made any friends or how Ginny Planet was at the moment, because I don't feel like lying to my big brother. I needn't have worried. He was staring after the bushy-haired girl with a wistful look on his face, mouth hanging open. It was almost comical. He looked like he did when Mum put a massive plate of food in front of him, which is to say, he was _drooling_! I'm not joking! It was pathetic, although he'd never actually had a girlfriend before, or even a girl friend, so it wasn't that surprising that he started drooling the second a member of the female sex looked at him sideways. I stepped in front of him, and waved my hand in front of his face. He started, and looked down at me in surprise.

"Oh, Ginny! I didn't see you there!" I smirked at him. He grinned sheepishly. "Should we go to the car?" he said, sounding slightly more dumb than usual.

"So Ron…" I said, drawing out the sentence for as long as I could, letting the question hover in the air between us.

"Yes Ginny?" he asked, looking innocent, which meant he'd a) done something wrong or b) knew what I wanted and was acting stupid. I suspected that both were currently in operation.

"Did you get her phone number?" I asked, my voice shooting up a few octaves at the chance to get my socially awkward big brother a date. I wasn't really that excited, just hiding my tears the best way I knew, by being loud and obnoxious and annoying, and making people _want_ to get away from you, so you don't have to do the work.

"Keep it down! And, as a matter of fact I did." He said, looking quite proud of himself. Poor guy. If getting a girl's phone number was an achievement, he really was more deprived than I thought. We had reached the car by now, a small beat up old car of dad's, I think it was a Ford Angelina or something. I wasn't good with cars. I slid into the passenger seat and slumped down into the worn leather. I turned to look out of the window, tears already forming in my eyes. I couldn't keep it together much longer.

"Ginny?" Ron said softly. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding slightly panicky now. I realised that my shoulders were heaving and tears were pouring down my face.

"You're crying Ginny." He said. _Really,_ I thought dryly. _I hadn't noticed._ "What's wrong?" He navigated the car towards the side of the road and reaching across the space to rub his hand comfortingly across my back.

"Just… g-get me h-h-home." I managed to choke out. He agreed softly and pulled away from the kerb, heading towards home, going a couple of miles faster than the speed limit. I was lucky to have such good brothers. And when we arrived home a couple of minutes later, Mum waiting anxiously outside, I corrected myself. I was lucky to have such a good family. Now I needed to let them take care of me.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews, it means a lot to me that you've taken the time to read and comment on my work! I hope you'll all continue reading and liking it! (I can't promise it won't get really awful)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HP, the amazing J.K. Rowling does!**

 **Ron POV**

I tucked the covers around my baby sister carefully, so as not to disturb her. She had fallen asleep at the kitchen table over her cup of steamy hot chocolate, after two hours of crying on me and Mum's shoulders about her first school day. I was worried about her. She had always been quite closed off, and didn't really like talking to people. She wasn't shy, not at all, but she just really disliked people. I was worried that that would mean she wouldn't make any friends and would have to hang round with me all the time. I didn't really have a problem with that, it was just she might not like it. I had carried her upstairs and put her in bed, and Mum was downstairs filling up some hot water bottles so she would be warm. Knowing Mum, she would probably get about twenty hot water bottles and Ginny would cook.

"Is she still asleep? Mum told me what happened." Whispered Charlie, poking his head round the door. Charlie works in the army, so his hands are slightly burnt and scarred from training with guns and knives.

"Yeah, she is." I whispered back. Just then my phone beeped in my pocket, alerting me to a new message. It was from an unknown number, but hoping that it was who I thought it was, I opened it anyway. A smile lit my face as I read it, because it was from her.

"Ooh, who's it from?" Charlie asked from the doorway. Damn. I'd forgotten he was there. He was grinning.

"No one!" I said, and then cursed myself. I can be an idiot at times. I could feel my ears going red.

"Let's see." He said, holding his hand out for the phone. I moved it behind my back. I should have known it was hopeless. He was a soldier, for God's sake! I didn't stand a chance. Sure enough, he plucked it out of my hand without any difficulty and read it. How did he know my password?

Seeing my look, he laughed. "Oh Ron, you didn't really think I wouldn't be able to hack your phone? You've had the same password since you were five!" I felt myself go red again.

"Anyways, who's Hermione?" he laughed. I opened my mouth to say something, _anything,_ but before I could there came a voice from behind us.

"Hermione? Isn't she the one with the bushy hair?" said Ginny.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Hermione POV**

I was sprawled across Hedwig's bed, watching as she tried to convince Harry to let her paint his nails. I was smiling, watching my two best friends fight. Eventually Hedwig moved on, recognising it as a lost cause. She turned to attack her boyfriend, Pig, who looked at her steely grey eyes and relented, although he drew the line at bright pink and instead opted for a rather nice dark red. I was checking my phone every couple of minutes, waiting for a reply to the text I sent an hour ago. I was starting to think I had a wrong number, when finally a reply came.

 **Hey Hermione! Sorry I didn't reply sooner, my brother stole my phone as blackmail!**

I smiled at that and replied probably quicker than I should have.

 _That's okay. I didn't realise you had a brother._

 **Don't get me started! I have five!**

 _Do you have any sisters, apart from Ginny?_

 **No, she's the only one. She thinks that because of that she has to act tough all the time, but she doesn't really. We love her anyway. How about you? Any siblings?**

 _No, but Harry and Hedwig are as close as proper siblings. We tell each other everything._

 **That sounds nice. I don't see many of my siblings, only Ginny and Charlie really. Charlie works in the army.**

 _What do your other brothers do? Why don't you see them as much?_

 **Bill works at a bank, but he's not your average bank worker. He has a ponytail and a fang earring, and if we went back a couple of centuries he'd probably be a pirate. Percy is an accountant, which suits him really, he loves numbers and maths. Sounds dead boring to me. Fred and George, the twins, run a joke shop, they sell loads of awesome stuff, and are richer than the rest of us put together. Mum refuses to take any money from them, says Dad earns enough at the airport for us. Mum stays at home, she's a great cook!**

 _Wow! Your family sounds really interesting, and you all sound really different, which must be exciting. What do you and Ginny want to do when you're older?_

 **I have no idea what Ginny wants to do! I think I might want to be a policeman, but I'm not really sure. Of all my brother's jobs, Charlie's sounds the best to me. What about you?**

 _I'm going to be boring and say accountant. I just really love numbers and words, so it seems perfect to me. Feel free to criticise!_

 **I'm not going to criticise! I just said accountancy didn't sound like something I would do! Some people do want to do that though, and I respect that, because otherwise we'd all have no money!**

I was about to reply when suddenly my phone disappeared. When I say disappeared, I mean that Harry took it. I tried to get it back, but he threw it to Hedwig, and she started to look through my texts. She was smiling so much she looked vaguely demented.

"Ron… that name sounds familiar. Who's he?" she asked, still grinning massively. She had been trying to get me to date for years, and she probably saw this as a golden opportunity.

"Ron. He's the new red headed kid in our History class." Harry said, also smiling. I glared at him. Helplessly, I glanced at Pig, in a last attempt to find _someone_ to be on my side. He looked at me sympathetically, but made no move to help. I should have been pleased he wasn't joining in; he was usually about as energetic as his girlfriend, which sounds impossible until it was done. I flopped back onto the bed and resigned myself to my fate. The only reason I didn't see the incoming disaster was that my eyes were closed, so I was utterly unprepared for being engulfed in a massive hug from an extremely annoying best friend as she squealed:

"You two are _so_ perfect together!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all you reviews, keep 'em coming! I hope you will still like me after this chapter, be rest assured I hated writing it! And I'm also sorry that they haven't kissed yet, not sure when they will, you'll have to wait and see! Also, I was thinking of doing a Romione fanfics on the lines of them being soulmates (cheesy I know) and not telling anyone, not even the other because they think that it can't possibly be true… thoughts?**

 **Ginny POV**

It had been a week since the disastrous first day. I have now settled into a steady routine, although I have yet to find any friends in my year. But Hermione and Hedwig are both good friends, if a little energetic. Hedwig has a fan-girlish type of joy whenever Hermione and Ron or Harry and I speak to each other. She gets this glint in her eye and is only tethered to the planet by her boyfriend's hand. Pig has almost the same amount of energy, but he uses it on the football field. Hedwig is a cheerleader, and is trying to make me become one, because 'you need to get out more'. I told her I couldn't become a cheerleader because they're supposed to be tall, thin and blonde, and whilst I'm reasonably tall and thin, I am not blonde. She said that cheerleaders just have to be pretty, and when I said I wasn't pretty Harry told me I was. I was then genuinely surprised that both he and Hedwig didn't spontaneously combust, Hedwig from excitement, and Harry from mortification.

Hermione is more bookish and quiet, and listens to me. She spends more time with Ron, another thing that contributes to Hedwig's never-ending energy. I must say that I would love for her and Ron to get together, because I think that Ron could use someone to make him study, and Hermione probably needs someone to make her study less. She's almost never out of the library, and always hands in her homework before it's due, according to Hedwig at least. She's probably exaggerating though.

And Harry, well I have to say that I take back my first opinion of him, he really is a nice person. We're not as close as I am to everyone else, because he doesn't talk as much. And he said I was pretty… that's not the point. I mentally shake myself. What does that have to do with anything? Other people have called me pretty, such as my ex, right up until the point when he cheated on me with another girl. And his response? "She was beautiful." Thanks. As you might be able to gather, I dumped him on the spot. Who wouldn't? I am jerked out of my reverie by a hand pulling on my ponytail. At first I think that it's Hedwig, but then the pressure increases and I am pulled around the side of the building, kicking and screaming to no avail.

"Little bitch!" I hear as one of my flailing arms connects with what feels like a nose. A hand covers my mouth, effectively cutting of my scream, before it has even really begun. I start to choke, desperately trying to breathe.

"If I let go of your mouth will you scream, little girl?" a voice purrs in my ear. The voice isn't familiar, but certainly sounds menacing.

"I said will you scream?" he shouts. I hastily shake my head. My knees feel weak and my head is spinning. I don't think I will be able to scream.

He lets go of my mouth, and I gulp in great gasps of air. My captors move to stand in front of me, although I sense one is still behind me. I can feel his breath on the back of my neck. The thinnest one sneers at me. He has white-blonde hair, slicked back with a lot of grease and a nose bleed. He must be the one who I hit.

"You don't belong here." He announces. He was the one with his hand over my mouth. I start to shake. I don't see a way I can get out of this. "You and your dirty family, going to bring the rest of us down." His mention of my family startles me into speaking for the first time.

"Ron. What have you done with him?" I try to shout, but it comes out fragile and weak. A fist from the guy next to the ringleader hits my stomach. I gasp, doubling over.

"You don' speak unless you given permission." He grunts. His speech and grammar indicate he is only there for the physical side of things. I ignore the warning, a big mistake on my part.

"What. Have. You. Done. With. My. Brother?" I growl.

I am watching the grunting guy, which is why I don't see the ringleader stare pointedly at the guy behind me. And then pain flared up between my shoulder blades. I couldn't help it. I screamed. The ringleader put his hand over my mouth again, and held my arms behind my back, twisting them. And then the other two started to punch me. Over and over. Pain and more pain. My vision was starting to go blurry again. I couldn't last much longer, and there was no telling what they'd do to me when I blacked out. A horrible thought crossed my mind. What if they killed me? But then another punch to my stomach stopped that train of thought.

"Hey!" someone shouted. My vision was really blurry now, and black around the edges.

"Leave her alone!" came the voice again. It sounded nearer now. I felt the hands keeping me upright leave, and I fell. Crumpled really. Backwards onto the stone. I vaguely heard punches behind me, and then fast footsteps. The last thing I saw before the world disappeared completely was a pair of green, green eyes.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Ron POV**

I was sitting at the cafeteria table with Hedwig on one side of me and Hermione on the other when my phone rang. That was strange. No one rang me in school. Ever. Mum and Dad knew that I would get into trouble for it, and so did my brothers, but if they were trying to annoy me they wouldn't call at lunch. I fished it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was Harry. My heart filled with dread. Harry had left the table ten minutes ago to look for Ginny, after half an hour of her not showing up. He would only be calling if he couldn't find her, or if something had happened to her.

I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Harry. What is it? Is Ginny okay?" I asked, panic seeping through into my words. Hermione was watching me with a worried expression on her face. I smiled at her, but that just made her look more worried, so I suspected it looked a bit more like a grimace.

"Um… she's passed out on the floor behind the history block and I can't leave her in case the people who beat her up come back. She's still breathing, but she hit her head when she fell, and I think she broke a couple of ribs…" I was already running to the first aid block to get someone to look after her, Hermione hot on my heels. I had stopped listening to him talking, the panic taking over as the big-brother instinct kicked in. Hermione snatched the phone from my hand, hung up on Harry without even a goodbye, and snatched my hand to pull me to a halt. Even in my state of extreme panic, I could feel the heat from her touch spreading up my arm.

"Ron, calm down." She commanded. I struggled to slow my breathing and my racing heart. "What is it?" she asked, sounding worried.

"Ginny." I replied. "Harry called saying that he found her, she's unconscious behind the history block and I need to call 911!" my voice rising with each word I said.

"Okay. I'll call 911, they'll probably understand me better seeing as I'm not in a state of nervous panic, and you go and find Harry and Ginny." She sounded so sure and confident that I found myself obeying without thinking, and before I knew it I was rounding the corner into the alleyway behind history at a half run. I stopped in my tracks. My sister was lying on the floor, her red hair in a fan above her head, and red spots of blood surrounded her. Harry was hovering above her, half turned towards the alley mouth and half towards Ginny, settled in a half crouch, ready to get up at a moment's notice. I had to catch at the brick wall to keep myself upright.

My sister. On the floor. Looking almost dead. Oh my god. I staggered forward, and put a hand on Ginny's forehead. She felt cold. I smoothed her hair back over her forehead. She looked peaceful, as if she was sleeping, although I knew that wasn't the case. At that moment the medics rounded the corner, and ran towards us.

"Excuse me." One said gruffly. I stood back a bit, and let them through. Hermione came to stand on one side of me, Harry on the other. Hermione tentatively took my hand, and I let her. I wasn't in the mood to start a fight, and, besides, it felt nice. Warm and comforting.

And beside me, Harry's green eyes watched my sister get wheeled away with concern and tenderness in his expression.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to scrappy8 for reviewing all the time! You're not registered on fanfiction, so I can't thank you on PM. Also, thanks to LoonyMoonyLuna for your comments.**

 **Almost 1000 views? Wow guys! You don't know how much this means to me, I love you guys! I do hope you like this chapter as much as you seem to like the rest of them! Here goes…**

 **Ginny POV**

I groaned. My head hurt. My chest hurt. My everything hurt. I blinked, trying to clear the blurriness behind my eyes. I moved my hand slightly, and something crinkled. A hospital bed? Then it all came rushing back to me, in all it's horrible gruesome detail. The blonde boy with his watery grey eyes, the two big guys who had thrown the punches. I, Ginevra Molly Weasley, had been beaten up in my second week of school.

My pride hurt.

But how had I got here? I didn't remember much from after they started punching me, just a shade of green startlingly close to Mum's emerald earrings. I was sure we had been in an alleyway, not outside near plants or trees. The only plants I remembered seeing were dead weeds, and they were certainly not the green I was looking for. I searched deeper into my memory, and managed to remember that the green had been in two round spots, almost like eyes. Yes, eyes! That was it! Someone with vivid green eyes had found me and rescued me. Now the only question was who I knew who had eyes that green. I mentally smacked myself. Of course. Harry. Who else? Who else did I know who would charge into a fight with the odds stacked against them, a fight against three guys vastly bigger and stronger than them? Who else would be so ridiculously brave and loyal, and insanely suicidal?

My blinking finally managed to clear my vision, and was greeted by a sight that was extremely welcome. Mum and Dad were on the left side of the bed, and Ron and Charlie on the other. Mum was sobbing into Dad's shoulder, mumbling something about how she should never have forced me and Ron to go to this terrible school, and I had the feeling that this had been going on for quite some time. No one had noticed that I was awake yet. They were all watching Mum crying, with the air of someone watching an unexploded bomb, evaluating if it was safe to get any closer than they already were. I shifted slightly, trying to get a bit more comfortable on the extremely uncomfortable bed. My movement attracted the eye of Charlie, and, seeing that I was awake, grinned at me.

"Hey Gin! You're finally awake! How are you?" he asked, still smiling, although the smile was looking rather forced now.

"How long was I out?" I asked, my voice coming out croaky and shaking. At my voice, Mum looked up from her crying. She looked distraught, with red puffy raccoon eyes, her mascara smudged all down her cheeks. When she saw me up, however, her distraught expression turned into one of jubilant relief. I felt a pang of guilt. I had made my Mum cry. If I had just been able to defend myself… Ron, sensing my distress, took my hand and squeezed it. Normally, I would never have let him do that, but today was different.

"Gin, no one blames you for this. You were up against three guys who were all bigger and stronger than you, and had the advantage of surprise. There was no way you would have been able to beat them." When he put it like that, it made me feel a lot better. But they still hadn't answered my question.

"How long?" I asked again, which was followed by several uneasy looks exchanged between my family. It was Dad who broke the silence.

"About two days. It's Wednesday morning now." He said, a wary look on his face. I groaned. I had missed two whole days of school. The guys who beat me up would know that they got to me. Misinterpreting my panicked look, Mum comforted me, in probably the most uncomforting way possible.

"It's okay sweetie, we phoned the school and they marked you absent, you'll just have to do a little extra work to catch up. They even did a talk on bullying to stop it happening again! Isn't that great?" she said, showing an extraordinary amount of tact. Dad saw my expression, and he hurriedly led everyone out of the room, saying I needed rest. He wasn't wrong. I was exhausted.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Harry POV**

I had been sitting in the hospital waiting room for about two hours now, since visiting hours had started. I was used to this now; I had stayed all day yesterday (when I wasn't at school) and the small portion of Monday that Ginny was here. I had even started to bring my homework here to pass the time. But I still wasn't allowed in to see her, and Ron told me she was still sleeping. Whenever I asked to see her (which was often), the hospital staff would look at me pityingly, and say in the tone of voice most people used to talk to partially deaf, very old or very young people: "It's family only sir." It was infuriating. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely noticed Ron and his family walk in, until Ron took the chair next to me. I looked up, expecting the same old, but he looked relieved.

"She's awake!" he said. I breathed I sigh of relief. She was still awake. I sat back in my chair, relaxing for the first time since I had rounded the corner looking for her, and saw her sagging in the arms of Draco Malfoy, blood splashed on her top. Ron was still speaking, so I tuned back in, trying to look as if I'd been listening.

"… She sounded a little worse for the wear, but that's to be expected, I suppose. She just asked how long she'd been out, and she probably would have talked for longer, if Mum hadn't had to go and tell her about that anti-bullying talk we had, because she knows that everyone at school will put two and two together and realise that her being off and the bullying talk we had are connected. I didn't have time to tell her you were here, though, sorry." He said, sounding as if he were rambling.

"Harry, dear?" I heard a kindly voice say. It was Ron's mum. I looked up at her sleepily. "You look tired. You've been here for ages, you should get some rest. I'll see if we can get you in to see her tomorrow. Ron will call you if you can." She said, smiling at me.

"Thank you." I said, and moved to get up. I stumbled slightly; my legs had fallen asleep. She steadied me, and I thanked her again.

"Now, I think we can drive you home, you're asleep on your feet." She laughed. I agreed, and walked out to the car, very ready to go home.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello everyone! I now have over 1000 views, which is a** _ **million**_ **times better than I ever imagined! Thank you to everyone who has read my work, those who have read it multiple times, and especially to those who take the time to review! I would love to hear from you (how else will I improve?) even if you are telling me to stop writing forever and never pick up a pen/pencil/laptop ever again.**

 **Disclaimer: Queen J.K. Rowling owns the world of Harry Potter, not me, which is probably a good thing!**

 **Harry POV**

I was already in the car and heading towards the hospital by the time Ron was halfway through his sentence. He had called me just after visiting hours started, with the news that I could go and see Ginny today. He said that seeing as I was the one to find her, I should be the first to see her. I told him I was on my way, hung up and sped towards the hospital. I was there in five minutes flat.

When I got into the waiting room, it was to see Mrs Weasley waiting for me. She smiled, looking slightly bemused that I had got here so fast, and gestured towards Ginny's room, indicating that I could go in. I smiled at her, and walked past to knock on Ginny's door. I could hear voices talking, one I recognised as Ginny's, and one as Ron's.

"Come in!" I heard Ginny say. My knees were starting to feel wobbly. I pushed open the door, and entered the room. It was a pretty normal hospital room, with the bed in the middle and some plastic chairs surrounding it. The room itself was light and airy, painted a light cream colour. There were two windows, one on my left and one on my right. They were both framed by curtains in a flower pattern. But only a very small portion of my brain was focused on the room, because the rest was focused on the figure in the bed. She looked bruised, and had a black eye. Her arms were hooked up to a couple of machines that I had no idea what they were doing. She was sitting up, but she was propped on loads of pillows, and looked exhausted. But she still looked beautiful to me. She was staring right back at me, her chocolate brown eyes swallowing up my green ones. Ron, who I hadn't noticed up to then, cleared his throat loudly. We both started at the sound, and looked away from each other, both of us the same colour as her hair.

"Um… I'll be going then." He said, and his ears were red. I could feel the embarrassment in the air, as if there was an electric current travelling around. "You only have ten minutes." He said, throwing a pointed look at me as he swept out of the room. And now, despite the fact I had been planning what to say for hours, all my carefully practised words flew out of my head just looking at her.

"It was you." She said, and her voice sent shivers down my spine. I was still standing in the doorway, so I walked forward cautiously and sat on the now familiar plastic chairs, the same as those in the waiting room.

"What was me?" I asked, but she just gave a look that made me abruptly change tack. "Okay, yes it was me who found you." I admitted, not knowing why I was so afraid to tell her. I was staring at my hands, clasped together on my knees. I felt her hand before I saw it, resting gently on top of both of mine. It was strange, with anyone else I would have seen it before I saw it, but with Ginny it was like an electric current alerting me to her presence. I looked up at her, her brown eyes smiling at me without her mouth having to.

"Thank you." She said fervently. "Without you I would most probably be dead. You saved my life." She looked almost scared, probably from showing her feelings after a lifetime of showing a harder side 24/7.

I was suddenly very aware of her hand on mine, and her mouth so close to mine. It was clear that she had had the exact same thought, because she appeared to be having the same trouble breathing as I was. I leaned slightly closer, until we were almost kissing. Then I caught myself. She had almost been killed, and I had saved her. She didn't have to do anything to say thank you, the best thank you I could get was that she was still alive. But I wanted to. I wanted to so much, but I couldn't ruin our friendship. I wouldn't add any more burdens to her already problem-filled life.

I stood up suddenly, and backed up a couple of steps. She was looking at me, her brown eyes hurt. I had made her hurt, more than she already was.

I hated myself.

I had done that.

I turned on my heel and all but ran out of the room.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Ginny POV**

I watched in surprise as Harry sprinted from the room. Ugggh. He had almost, _almost,_ kissed me, and then he runs from the room? That was not okay on so many levels. I flopped back on the pillows, defeated. My cheeks were burning. How stupid was I, believing that one of the most popular, rich and clever students in a school for rich, clever people would _ever_ fall for a girl like me. What had I been thinking? How could I be so naïve? My self-pity party was interrupted by a tall, lanky and freckled someone. Great. Just what I needed.

"Did I just see Harry leaving? That's strange. He's barely left the waiting room for three days!" I knew he said something else, but I wasn't paying attention. Harry had spent the last three days in the waiting room for _me_? Surely he had some other friend or relative or someone here, he wouldn't do that for me and then leave when he visits. Ugggh. _Boys_. They are the hardest thing to understand on the planet! Why can't they just _tell_ you if they like you, or if they want to go out with you, or if they never want to see you again!

"Uh, Ginny, were you listening to me?" I heard Ron say, jerking me out of my reverie. I looked up sheepishly, and getting the answer from my expression, repeated his words with a sigh.

"The doctors say you can leave tomorrow, your chest and ribs might be sore for a while, but they were only slightly bruised and your head should be fine, although they say if you get any bad headaches you should go and see the doctor." I could leave tomorrow? Yes! After only a day of consciousness here I was _bored_! I was never able to sit still for more than a few minutes, and having a whole _day_ of having to… wasn't the most pleasant experience of my lifetime to say the least. But now I'm soon to be _free_! I had to force myself to sit still. Ron laughed at my expression and made things a hundred times better with another piece of news.

"The doctors and Mum say you can have the rest of the week off, we're getting Luna to pick up any homework and give it to me, do you know her?" I did know Luna, although not well. She was in almost all of my lessons, and most the other students kept their distance from her because she was, well, _weird_ to say the least. She has these strange earrings that look like radishes, a constant dreamy expression and a tendency to insist that some strange creatures exist, such as _crumple-horned snorkacks_ and _thestrals._ Because both she and I were shunned by our classmates, we often ended up working together for paired activities. She was the closest thing to a friend I had in my year.

"Yeah I know her. I get the week of school? How did they get Mum to agree to that?" I asked. My mother was notorious in not letting us off school unless we literally couldn't get out of bed. I think I've had two days off in my whole life, both for a bad case of flu.

"The doctors said it would damage your physical and mental state, so she agreed, somewhat grudgingly." I smiled. That sounded like Mum. "Oh, and Hedwig, Pig and Hermione are here to see you." He said, his voice softening on Hermione's name. It was hilarious watching my brother fall for my friend. I grinned at him and he smiled tentatively back, looking slightly alarmed.

"And after that you've got Luna and Neville to see you, and then Fred and George managed to get a day off from the joke shop, they'll be here in about half an hour…" he kept going on about all the people here to see me, and I prepared myself for a lot of talking and listening. I don't like people.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: It seems I start all chapters like this, but thanks for all the reviews and likes!**

 **Disclaimer: Queen Rowling owns Harry Potter, not me!**

 **Ginny POV**

It had been a month since I got out of hospital, and I was now completely healed. I had an almost permanent guard duty, rotating between Hedwig, Hermione, Pig (although I suspected he did this more for Hedwig's benefit than mine), Ron and Neville. I wasn't talking to Harry as much now since the almost-kiss, which I was still infuriated about. I couldn't get away from my guard for more than the few minutes it took to go to the restroom. And even then there was always someone waiting outside. Even in class Luna Lovegood or Colin Creevey (a small boy who idolised Harry) were always there to 'keep an eye on things' which just meant I couldn't go and kick Harry's butt for being idiotic and unclear.

At this moment, walking from History to lunch, Luna was tailing me, talking energetically about some holiday her and her dad were going to go on to look for unicorns. I was having a particularly bad day, and reached the end of my tether when I saw that Hedwig and Hermione were waiting at the doors to the canteen too escort me in. Hermione must have seen something in my face, and she took a couple of steps back. Hedwig, although a great friend, was generally oblivious to other people's feelings. True to form, she just started chatting to Luna, grabbing my hand to pull me in to the canteen.

She didn't even touch me.

I grabbed her hand, and twisted. She shrieked, turning to look at me with a hurt look on her face. I pushed her away from me and turned to walk out, brushing past Harry, who had obviously just arrived, who was looking between me and Hedwig rapidly, trying to figure out what had just happened. Hedwig was rubbing her wrist, a hurt look on her face. He evidently hadn't figured it out, because he tried to stop me. I shot him a warning look. He just looked confused. I couldn't get out fast enough. I was in a bad mood, so I don't know why I turned down the same dark alleyway behind the History block that I had been beaten up in. Maybe because I knew it was private, and I could fall apart in private.

I stood leaning against the wall for quite some time. The bell for the end of lunch rang. Then the next bell. I didn't know what time it was, and I didn't particularly care either. I just wanted to be alone for the first time in a whole month. As I may have mentioned before, I am not particularly fond of other human beings.

A figure rounded the corner, just after a bell rang. That must have been the bell for the end of school. My heart sped up for a split second, before I realised who it was. Before I recognised the tall skinny figure, and the untidy black hair. I expected him to shout, or at least have a go at me. But he just leaned against the wall next to me. After a couple of minutes, I tried to ignore him, and go back to my aloneness. Just this time not so alone. And I was painfully aware of that fact, aware of _him_ even though he wasn't touching me, and I wasn't looking at him. I could tell exactly how far away he was, and when he moved. It was like there were invisible strings connecting us, or tiny sparks of electricity. I had never felt this way before, save for the hospital when he almost kissed me.

So it made sense that when Harry started to get bored, I realised it, and, though it surprised the both of us, decided to remedy it. I turned to face him, my whole body aching from where I'd been leaning against the wall for hours. He was already looking at me, having heard my sigh when I had realised that I couldn't stay like that forever. I temporarily lost my train of thought, content in just staring at his beautiful green eyes. I mentally shook myself though, and looked away, hopefully before he had noticed.

"I'm assuming you're going to give me a lecture?" I said, preparing myself for the bashing that would soon ensue, made a thousand times worse by the person delivering it. But he surprised me.

"No actually. I came to ask… are you okay?" I turned to look at him in surprise. He was worried about me? In my head I did a Happy Dance, having to physically restrain myself from squealing. I realised he had started talking again, mistaking my silence for confusion or shock.

"…these last few months must have been hard for you, moving schools, getting beaten up-" he then had to shut up for the simple reason that I had put my hand over his mouth. I gave him a warning look and released my hold of his mouth. Both of us were slightly red, having just realised that I had _had my hand on his mouth_. I hadn't realised what I was doing until it was too late. But I couldn't back out now.

"Yes, the last few months have been hard. And no, I'm not okay. I was just surprised when you asked if I was okay, not to rant to me about what I did to Hedwig, who you've been friends with for so much longer than you've been friends with me, we haven't even talked since… I got beaten up, and she means a lot more to you than I do, which stands to reason that you _should_ be more worried about her, not me." I said. He looked gobsmacked. I waited, nervous. I had probably sounded like I wanted to be told off like a child, when in reality that was the last thing I wanted.

I waited.

I waited.

And, finally, he blinked. And then he started to talk.

"Ginny… I want you to know that you mean a lot to me. And, yes, Hedwig does too. I'm not going to choose between you, I know you've been under a lot of stress, and I told Hedwig that giving you a permanent guard wasn't what you needed, which was why I didn't follow you around unlike everyone else, which might have seemed like I was abandoning you. I'm sorry for that. I just want to do what's best for you so you can be okay again." Now it was my turn to stare at him, utterly gobsmacked. My emotions were going wild inside me, happiness and relief overlapping, overwhelming me completely. That was the only explanation for what I did next.

I kissed him. And when I say kissed, I don't mean a swift peck on the lips; I mean a full-on arms-around-neck, push-him-into-a-wall kiss. I froze, and he did too, our lips still pressed together. And then, as if both obeying an undetectable signal, we both started to move our mouths against the other's. Heat spread from the point of contact through my entire body, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. He tangled one hand in my hair, holding my head in place as he kissed me, and I had to stifle a moan. His other hand pressed against the small of my back, forcing me closer. He flipped us around, so I was the one pressed against the wall and he was pressing closer until there was no closer, until we were so close that we barely counted as two people anymore. My arms were still wrapped around his neck, keeping his lips firmly on mine. We stayed like that for what felt like hours, until we had to pull away to breathe, something I was now finding extremely inconvenient. We were both now breathing hard, staring into each other's eyes, emerald green into chocolate brown.

He leaned in again, pressing his lips against mine, this time sweet and gentle. He lingered for a second, then two, and then he pulled away. We were still close enough to feel his breath on my lips, and to be pressed together, but not to the extent of a few minutes ago. He laughed quietly, so quietly that if I had not been standing so close I would not have heard it. He turned and pressed his lips to my forehead, and I had to restrain a whimper.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that." He muttered against my skin. I was still having trouble breathing. My brain seemed to short-circuit whenever I was around him, which was rather annoying. I sighed happily. He smiled, his lips trailing their way slowly down from my forehead, onto my cheek, lightly hovering over the corner of my mouth, before withdrawing. He smirked at me, the smirk that I had initially found so infuriating, now so endearing. But no matter how endearing I found it, he was not going to get away with teasing me like that. Two can play at that game.

I reached my hand up from my side, cupping his cheek, delighting at the soft sigh I got from him. I let my fingers wander across his face, tracing his eyelids when he shut them, smoothing over his lips, tangling in his untidy ebony hair. We were pressed so closely together I could feel his heartbeat thundering in his chest, matching the pace of mine. I slowly moved my hands so that they were cupping the back of his head, and I moved my head up so that my lips were a mere inch away from his. His eyes opened lazily, savouring the moment. He was the one to close the distance, once again pressing his lips to mine. This time was neither as passionate as our first, nor as sweet as our second, but long and lingering, both of us getting to know the other. He tasted of lemons and chocolate, an unusual combination, but delicious nonetheless. The kiss was starting to grow into something resembling the fiery passion of our first kiss, but we were interrupted by my phone ringing, playing Ron's ringtone. I groaned against his lips, and he chuckled in response. Our lips were still pressed together, but I reluctantly pulled away with an apologetic smile. I picked up.

"Hello?"

"Ginny? Where are you? I've been waiting for almost half an hour! Hermione and… Hedwig are here too, waiting for Harry. You haven't seen him have you?" I cringed at Hedwig's name, having forgotten the circumstances that left me here in favour of getting lost in the pleasure of kissing Harry. Harry wrapped his arm around my waist, and planted a light kiss on the top of my head. I shivered in pleasure.

"Hey Ron. Sorry, I lost track of time walking around. Tell Hedwig I'm sorry. I'll tell her myself, but can you as well? As for Harry, no I haven't seen him." I said, already knowing that Ron would be able to tell I was lying, because a) my voice softened on Harry's name and b) Harry had laughed at my lie, which Ron would most probably be able to hear.

"Liar."

"I'm not lying!"

"Yeah right! You're with him right now don't even try to deny it!" Harry was chuckling again, as I had the phone on speaker. He held out his hand for the phone, leaving it up to me to decide if I wanted our relationship to be public. I placed it in his hand without hesitation. He grinned at me.

"Hi Ron… yeah… kind of, I was in lessons… see you there." He said, hanging up. He held out his hand, and I took it. We began walking leisurely towards the car park, enjoying our time together.

"What did Ron say?" I asked, my voice light and carefree, our hands swinging between us.

"He wanted to know if I kissed you, and if I'd been with you since you left lunch, or if you'd been in class."

"What did you say?"

"Well, yes to the first one, and kind of to the second, because you weren't in class but I wasn't with you for the whole time." He sounded just as happy. My grin stretched wider, recognising that I had made him so happy.

We had got to the almost empty car park now, which had only two cars in it; Harry's shiny silver one, and Ron's beat up blue one. Ron himself was talking to Hermione, leaning against the railing on the sidewalk. Hedwig was standing a little way away, watching them with a self-satisfied smirk. She had a bandage around her wrist. I flinched at the sight. I had done that. Harry, sensing my distress let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. I smiled at him, and he smiled back, pressing his lips to the top of my head for the second time that day.

Hedwig was the first to spot us, and she seemed to be facing an internal battle on whether to be exhilarated at the sight of Harry's arm around me, or annoyed because I sprained her wrist. She apparently decided on exhilarated, which I expected because Hedwig wasn't one to dwell on the unpleasant, and she was certainly one to try and get her friends together. She squealed, effectively alerting Ron and Hermione to our presence.

"Oh my days! Did you two get together? No, that's a stupid question. You're both looking at each other all lovey-dovey, of course you did!" she carried on like that for quite some time, Hermione had an 'I told you so' look on her face, and Ron appeared to be alternating between glaring at me and glaring at Harry. He interrupted Hedwig, looking thunderous.

"I'm warning you Harry, if you touch a single hair on her head, if you hurt her in any way, you will not live to see the light of day again."

"I am perfectly able to look after myself." I said, inclining my head towards Hedwig slightly. "I'm sorry Hedwig, by the way. I'd just had a bad day, I promise it won't happen again." She smiled at me and nodded. Ron grunted and grumpily started to head towards the car.

"Come on then Ginny. We need to go, Mum'll be worried." I turned to Harry, and stood on tiptoe to press a brief kiss to his lips. I distinctly heard a squeal emit from somewhere near Hedwig. Strange that. Harry brushed my hair carefully behind my ear, fingers trailing a path of fire across my cheek.

"See you tomorrow." He said, fingers still in my hair. He pressed his lips once more to mine, lingering for a few seconds, before letting me walk towards Ron and the car. I got in, did up my seatbelt, and immediately turned to look at him. He was looking at me, smiling slightly. Neither of us looked away, until the car rounded the corner and we couldn't see each other anymore. Just before we rounded the corner, I saw Hedwig pounce on Harry, an expression of jubilance on her face.

And just as I was about to go to sleep, my phone beeped on the bedside table. I picked it up, smiled, and went to sleep, my dreams filled with green eyes and messy black hair.

 **Goodnight beautiful xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**GUESS WHO'S BACK?!**

 **To all my wonderful readers:**

 **I am so sorry for not updating in like a million years! (I know that's what everyone says, but still… *hides in corner*) I've been busy with school, my parent's and one of my best friend's birthdays, ex-best friend problems… I'm just really sorry!**

 **Also, thank you for all the comments of you all fangirling at my last chapter, I have to admit I died a little inside writing it! That was my first time writing a kiss scene, so I'm glad you liked it! If you're lucky, I might include another kiss somewhere… okay, that's going to happen anyway.**

 **Thank you all, I love you! Enjoy…**

 **Harry POV**

It was 4am, and I was still up. I was panicking. I had kissed Ginny. Granted, she had kissed me back, but what did that mean for our relationship? Were we boyfriend and girlfriend now? These were the questions that had been going round my head since we left each other yesterday afternoon. And I was no closer to finding answers now than I was then, perhaps even further away. I know I want to be with her, but I can't be sure about her feelings. Little do I know, but the very same red-headed girl I am thinking of is currently thinking of me.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Ginny POV**

 _I was running across a green meadow, green that reminded me of something… but I saw a thin figure in front of me and I forgot that. He was tall and wiry, with untidy black hair._

" _Harry!" I called out. He turned, and I threw myself into his arms. He kissed me, tasting of raspberries and vanilla. No… that wasn't right. Harry tasted of lemon and chocolate. I pulled away, and looked up at the boy in front of me. The boy who was most definitely not Harry. He had white-blonde hair and watery grey eyes. I recognised him instantly. Draco Malfoy. The boy who had me beaten up._

 _I screamed._

I sat up in bed, breathing hard, tears and sweat streaking my face. My heart was beating fast, and I felt slightly sick. I pulled my legs up to my chin and hugged them, curled in a ball on my duvet. Without consciously planning it, I picked up my phone and sent a text. I turned the light on, hoping to dispel the shadows. My phone beeped, and I picked it up and unlocked it. I noted the time with surprise. It was 4am? I don't think I'd ever been up that early since I was a toddler. And why was Harry up this early? I quickly got out of bed, changed into old jeans and a blue long-sleeved t-shirt, put on my coat and boots, and left the house, leaving my phone on my bedside table, displaying the text I had just received to the world.

 **Meet me in the park a block away from your house xxx**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Harry POV**

I sat on a bench at the park, waiting for Ginny to arrive. The wind was sharp as a knife against my cheekbones, whipping my hair into my eyes, so much so that I almost didn't see the figure approaching. But, then, I didn't need to see her to know she was there. I was painfully aware of every move she made, as aware of her as I was of myself.

Her red hair trailed behind her like a ribbon, a beacon on light in the otherwise dark landscape. Her head was down, bowing against the wind. Her hands were in her pockets, and her shoulders were hunched over to preserve body heat. At that moment she noticed me, and she smiled widely.

"Hey." I called, when she got near enough to hear me.

"Hi." She said warmly, settling down on the bench next to me. I cautiously put my arm around her, giving her plenty of time to push me away if she wanted to. She did the opposite; settling her head on my chest and throwing her legs out so that she was sitting sideways along the bench, on top of me. I balanced my chin on her head, breathing in the smell of her, a floral scent that was a mix of roses and violets, and another smell I couldn't quite place.

"Why are you awake?" I asked quietly. My hand played with her fingers, twining with them, releasing thousands of butterflies in my stomach.

"I could ask you the same thing." She said, smile evident in her voice. I grinned, and pressed my lips to her forehead.

"But I asked first." I murmured against her smooth ivory skin. She laughed, and snuggled closer to me.

"Fine, you win. I had a nightmare. You?"

"Thinking."

"About?"

"You." **(A/N: if anyone gets my reference I will love you forever and you get a free imaginary blue kangaroo.)**

I wondered if there might be a slight overdose of cheese in that statement, but I needn't have worried. Ginny just smiled and laughed, and kissed my cheek lightly. At the last moment, I turned my head slightly, and carefully brushed my lips lightly across hers. Her laugh died in her throat, and she appeared to be struggling to breathe. The feeling was mutual. If I hadn't been sitting down I felt sure I would fall on the floor, my legs were so wobbly. It only lasted for a second, but it was somehow more powerful than our previous kisses, fleeting as it was. We both pulled away, but not completely, just giving us both enough room to breathe. I could feel her hot breath on my lips, and I yearned to kiss her again. Before I could, however, my phone started ringing in my pocket. I pulled it out of my pocket to check who it was. I froze. It was Sirius. He never called. _Ever._

"Harry? What's wrong?" Ginny said, probably because I had been staring at my phone in shock for so long it had stopped ringing. I was still staring at it when it started to ring again, and this time I picked it up.

"Sirius? What's wrong?" I asked, worry colouring my tone. Ginny was still looking at me anxiously. I sent her what was supposed to be a comforting look, but considering her facial expression, it probably came out as more of a grimace.

"Where are you? Harry I was so worried! Did you not _see_ everyone on the streets? Did you not see the news? What the _hell_ were-" I interrupted him there, because he sounded like he could go on for quite some time.

"Sirius, slow down. I'm fine; I just went out for some air. Why are you so worked up?" I asked, worried. Sirius never got angry or upset, he laughed at everything and anything, but could be serious **(pun not intended)** when need be, which was important for his job in the government as a representative of the Massachusetts 9th district.

"Harry. The President is dead. The government has fallen. They want to kill all the representatives. And their families."

 **A/N: If you are reading this, I thank you for sticking with me. Mwahahahahaha cliff-hanger! I apologise for my completely non-existent knowledge of American politics, so if anyone can help with that…**


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